bvThere’s widespread knowledge about how the pancreas and insulin play a big role in diabetes, and with all our treatments centered around insulin management it’s easy to forget that the body works as a whole, and problems are rarely isolated.
New research has found that the hypothalamus and other areas of the brain play a big part in the development of diabetes—both by controlling insulin production, but also by influencing other blood sugar control mechanism. They further suggest that this may be one reason we don’t have a cure for diabetes—we have only been focused on managing symptoms, and not treating underlying causes (although this would be more true for Type 1 Diabetes than Type 2, since Type 2 can be greatly improved if not cured by lifestyle changes).
We’re a long way off from treating the brain, however. Researchers will need to explore questions like “what triggers the brain to mismanage blood sugar/insulin?” And “how can it be prevented or corrected?”.
In the meantime, jut remember that the body is a whole, even of some problems seem pretty specific. You can support brain health by getting good nutrition, especially at night when your brain needs to clear itself out. You can get the minerals your brain needs, and support a good night’s sleep (which it also needs) with our Sleep Support Pack.
You should also make sure you get enough calories, especially from carbohydrates, because your brain uses a LOT more of them than most people realize!
What do you think? Can you see a possible connection between the brain and diseases like diabetes?
